Near the end of August, members of the St. Clair and Richwoods fire protection districts went through propane fire training in the parking lot across East Springfield Road from St. Clair’s First Baptist Church.

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One Injured in Fire At Pacific Business

Near the end of August, members of the St. Clair and Richwoods fire protection districts went through propane fire training in the parking lot across East Springfield Road from St. Clair’s First Baptist Church.

One person was injured Wednesday night when a fire erupted following an explosion in a testing lab at Clayton Corporation, 307 Integram Drive in Pacific.

The firm, headquartered in Fenton, manufacturers valves for aerosol cans.

The fire department received the call at 9:11 p.m

Police Chief Rick Friedman said firemen arrived on the scene to find one female employee with flash burns. She was transported by ambulance to the hospital.

A small fire in a testing lab booth still had some flames, which firefighters quickly extinguished.

“The sprinkler head in the lab did its job,” Friedman said. “It puts out 35 gallons a minute and had all but extinguished the fire when firefighters arrived.”

Firefighters pulled a line into the lab to put more water on flames in the testing booth.

Everything happened as it was supposed to, Friedman said. The alarm went off, the area was evacuated and the sprinkler head went off.

“This is what we ask for in our fire prevention visits,” he said.

The female employee, who suffered first-degree burns, which doctors compared to a sunburn, was reported doing well after treatment.

Friedman said it appeared that the explosion was caused by a spark when the employee attempted to puncture the empty aerosol can after the test was completed. Firefighters do not yet know what caused the spark or what was being used to puncture the can.

A Clayton Corporation spokesperson said the firm was relying on the fire department to determine the cause and make all announcements regarding the fire, but the company also will continue to study the incident to determine the exact cause of the spark.

Clayton personnel had reported that the female employee suffered some blisters, but was doing well.